In the days that followed, the ECB lobbied hard behind the scenes to water down the Deauville pact, arguing that it would lock Europe's weakest governments out of capital markets.
In dreaming up the idea and getting it done -- putting the audience in those canoes, and having them paddle to each of the six scenes in the play along the eight miles of water -- Gaylord and Hanson may have displayed more sheer ingenuity and grin-inducing creativity than you'll find in any dozen movie-multiplex blockbusters in the months ahead.
And in this vacuum, one of the most popular public figures is not a politician but Arkady Gaydamak, a populist billionaire who spreads his money around like water and unashamedly proclaims his desire to be a kingmaker behind the scenes.
Similar scenes at 28 meetings have fired up rural Australia since the water-use plan was unveiled in early October by the authority responsible for managing the basin formed by two of Australia's longest rivers, the Murray and the Darling.